


Transit

by ST_Osmanthus



Series: One Piece Works [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Action/Adventure, Character Study, M/M, Nakamaship, Pre-Slash, Slash, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-02
Updated: 2017-11-27
Packaged: 2018-05-17 19:59:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5883652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ST_Osmanthus/pseuds/ST_Osmanthus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Dressrosa, Luffy's alliance with Law continues to change and take shape. Before they're reunited with their respective crews, the captains find themselves and their friends on an island hidden from the rest of the world. As Luffy becomes entangled in a new adventure, Law begins a one-sided battle with Zoro as he learns just what it means to be a Straw Hat.</p><p>(A story meant to be inserted into the canon timeline between Dressrosa and Zou. Might contain spoilers up until Zou.)</p><p>Can be considered a sequel to my other work, Beacon, although both can stand alone. The rating might go up as the story continues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Zoro

**Author's Note:**

> Fair warning, I will probably not update regularly. This story has NOT been written fully, and it will be written whenever I have time. If you don't like WIPs, and hate waiting, this fic is not for you.
> 
> Disclaimer: One Piece is the intellectual property of Oda Eiichiro and affiliates. I receive no compensation for this work aside from fake internet points (and possibly real internet threats).

Upon Robin’s request and easy permission from Bartolomeo, Franky spent 2 days upgrading Going Luffy-Senpai’s bathroom to something more worthy of a temporary vessel for the future pirate king. 

It was difficult work, but simple enough considering the Barto Club’s original bathroom consisted solely of a wooden chair with a hole in the middle of its seat and a very unsanitary bucket underneath. There was no bathtub or shower, since the Barto Club crew—an unruly bunch of ex-bandits and convicts—were satisfied enough with an occasional dip in the sea. And those who couldn’t swim simply went without. 

Franky ripped out their pathetic excuse of a toilet and dumped it in the ocean, pollution be damned. He then proceeded to enlarge the bathroom’s overall square footage by extending two of its walls and appropriating a section of the adjoining recreation area. He built a desalination device out of the scraps on-board, installed brand new plumbing, used his fire breath to fashion an actual porcelain toilet, and with Usopp’s help, designed and carved a bathtub big enough for four. 

Bartolomeo had excitedly requested a shower head shaped like Luffy, but Franky refused on account of it being too perverted even for him.

All in all, it was an effort well-appreciated by both Bartolomeo’s crew and their temporary guests. As soon as Franky filled up the tub with steaming fresh water for the first time, Robin called dibs and disappeared with a towel.

The entire time she was in there, Bartolomeo stationed himself outside the bathroom door with a dagger and dared any of his crew to approach.

“I’m on the lookout for peeping toms!” Bartolomeo had declared, even though nobody in his crew dared to peep on Robin in the first place. Bartolomeo, however, started to faint anytime he overheard the sound of splashing water from within. 

The Straw Hats indulged the chicken-head’s blatant excuse. Besides, Robin was more than capable of handling herself should she feel uncomfortable at any point. 

“Hey, Luffy,” said Usopp, “do you want to go next? It’d be nice to have a bath.”

They all desperately needed one. Rebecca, with Zoro’s help, had done her best to scrub them down and change them into fresh clothes after their battles, but what with their injuries, being comatose during recovery, and their rushed escape, a bath had been near impossible. Smatterings of blood that Rebecca had missed still remained in their hair and private parts where she couldn’t get to were starting to itch.

Luffy pouted. Their captain was never one for baths, since being submerged in water made him too weak and defenseless. 

On the Sunny, Nami was usually the one who’d complain about Luffy (and Zoro) stinking up the place until they deigned to submit themselves for a quick rinse. On the Going Luffy-Senpai, the men didn’t care enough to say anything, but Robin, the only woman onboard, had purposely sat herself far away from her crew during dinner, and so the message was received loud and clear.

Usopp tried again. “C’mon, Luffy, I’ll go with you! We can scrub each other’s backs.”

Franky agreed. “And no need to waste energy heating up more water than necessary. The tub can fit four. Oi, Zoro, Law, you guys go in, too.”

Zoro immediately took offense. He growled, “You saying I stink, too, Franky? I’ll have you know I was the only one who wasn’t covered in blood this time.”

“Don’t mean you aren’t sweat-soaked, Zoro. Spare us, we have to share a room with you at night!” Usopp chimed in. 

Bartolomeo appeared on deck before Zoro could retort bearing a suspicious trail of blood under one nostril. “Robin-senpai is done!” he proclaimed. There were tears in his eyes for reasons nobody could understand.

Surprisingly, it was Trafalgar who settled the point. He grabbed Usopp by the collar with his good arm and nudged Luffy with a foot. “Let’s just go,” he growled in a manner no less ferocious than Zoro.

The Straw Hat swordsman sighed but acquiesced. With both Luffy and Torao in the bath, it was safer to have two non-fruit users in there as well.

While Luffy and Torao lingered hesitatingly in the nude, Zoro and Usopp made quick work scrubbing their hair and rinsing off before going to lounge in the bathtub. Robin had kindly topped off the bath with newly boiled water, and despite Zoro’s superficial protest, his muscles were indeed in need of a nice, long soak.

“Hurry up, Luffy,” he said, too relaxed for his impatient words to carry much heat.

Luffy groaned in protest but followed suit, taking his time washing his hair and rinsing his body with a bucket of water before dipping a toe gingerly into the bathtub.

Usopp chuckled and goaded, “The pirate king can’t be afraid of taking a bath, Luffy!”

Luffy implored, “Just don’t let me drown.”

Zoro snorted with his eyes shut. 

“Have I ever?” he grumbled.

On the Sunny, and on the Merry before that, thanks to Luffy and Zoro’s shared dislike for baths, they often had to take them together. Zoro hadn’t let anything happen to Luffy then, and he was mildly insulted that Luffy didn’t trust him just because they were on a new ship.

Water rippled around Zoro’s chest as Luffy sank into it. Zoro didn’t need to see to know Luffy had gone limp almost immediately. He reached out blindly and grabbed Luffy around his right bicep, tugging his captain close until he could wrap an arm around Luffy’s torso, thus securing the rambunctious captain safely to his side. 

Luffy’s head fell back listlessly against Zoro’s left shoulder. His silly captain sighed contently. It was almost always a struggle getting Luffy into the bath, but Zoro knew how much he enjoyed himself once he was neck deep in it.

The water rippled again. The bathroom fell into a comfortable silence interrupted only by the occasional sound of water dripping out of the faucet. When Zoro’s hold on Luffy slacked, the young man let himself be tugged downward by the water’s powers. Zoro huffed, opened his eye and reprimanded his captain, “Oi, put some effort into keeping yourself alive. Don’t make me do all the work.”

With only his nose above water level, Luffy’s giggle produced a spurt of bubbles. “But it’s so nice and comfortable!” he lifted his head to say.

“See? My idea was a good one, wasn’t it?” Usopp boasted from across the bathtub. Zoro glanced briefly at Usopp’s chest. His stitches seemed to be healing nicely, but Usopp had sustained terrible injuries in the last battle, and without Chopper there, everybody was more worried than usual about recovery rates. Zoro also noticed that Usopp had lost some muscle mass since their reunion, now that he didn’t need to struggle alone for survival. Zoro made a mental note to whip Usopp back into shape as soon as possible.

Perpendicular to them, Torao sat on the ledge of the tub with only his legs in the water and a towel covering his private parts. He wore his usual scowl, and his arms—one still heavily bandaged—were crossed petulantly in front of himself as if trying to shield his heart from some imminent threat.

He was also staring—no, glaring was more like it—at Zoro’s arm around Luffy. 

Zoro would have laughed if it weren’t for the small, enclosed space.

He liked Torao, he really did. The older man was sincere despite his cunning, righteous despite his reputation, and he made a decent drinking partner once he could bring himself to let loose a bit. Moreover, he was even more antisocial than Zoro himself, which only made Zoro want to provoke him. 

And that was why Zoro found himself teasing aloud, “What’s the matter, Torao? Does the media know a big bad Royal Shichibukai is afraid of a little bath water?”

Luffy chirped lazily, his mouth barely out of the water, “Come on in! Zoro can prop you up, too!”

Trafalgar looked like he was going to throw up at the mental image alone. Luffy didn’t help as he continued to suggest, “Or you can drape across Usopp! He’s a good swimmer and he won’t let you go down.” 

Luffy clearly had no idea what he was doing to Torao by suggesting that the aloof captain should “drape” himself across anyone, but Usopp instantly shrank away and tried to make himself as small as possible.

When the other captain ignored his suggestion without so much as an acknowledgement that he’d spoken at all, Luffy turned his head to peer at Zoro inquisitively, their already close proximity bringing their noses within centimeters of each other. 

Zoro didn’t need Observation Haki to know Torao was holding his breath. 

And now he felt bad for the guy. Whereas Luffy was shameless enough to cuddle up to just about any woman, man, child, or animal, most people had better concepts of personal space. If he put himself in Torao’s shoes though, it couldn’t be easy being surrounded by not just one, but two strange crews. Zoro wouldn’t be able to relax either, alliance notwithstanding.

Zoro could only hope that Torao was more relaxed around his own crew, and that his astonishment at Zoro and Luffy’s cuddling—for the lack of a better word—was due to his discomfort around relative strangers, and not because physical intimacy was a completely foreign concept to the man. Because even Zoro would find it sad if Torao didn’t allow himself to have a friendly touch from time to time.

It certainly wasn’t something any of the Straw Hats took for granted anymore after their separation. They never discussed it as a group, but Zoro could admit to himself just how starved he had been for a friendly touch during those two long years. 

It also wasn’t something they should push onto Torao, so Zoro merely shrugged at Luffy. 

But Luffy was not one for letting things go, or for reading social cues. He inched closer to Torao, and lifting one lethargic arm, grabbed onto the reticent captain and hauled him bodily into the tub.

“Damn it, Luffy!” Zoro cursed as soon as Torao’s head went under. The Heart captain struggled and gurgled. Thankfully, the water wasn’t too deep, and Zoro—with one arm still firmly wrapped around Luffy—easily reached in and got a hold of Trafalgar’s hair.

Torao quickly recovered his posture. He fought against the draw of the water in order to sit up on his own and glared even harder at Luffy. Water droplets fell in quick drips from his now flat hair. 

“Ah, sorry, sorry,” Luffy apologized in that tone of his which clearly held no hint of compunction, and because he was Monkey D. Luffy, the man who would become Pirate King, he decided it was a good idea to make a second grab at Trafalgar.

To Zoro’s surprise, Torao didn’t fight back, merely growling a threatening “Mugiwara-ya!” at the approaching hand. Luffy just grinned and wound his own arm around Torao’s midriff—lower than where Zoro’s arm had found purchase around Luffy—and tugged.

Maybe the water had a stronger effect on Torao than the man was letting on, because he drifted toward them easily, and to Zoro’s confusion, he now found himself in the lead of a Worst Generation cuddle train. But as usual with Luffy, it was best not to think too deeply about, well, anything really.

On the other side of the bath, Usopp guffawed. “Hahahahahaha! I wish I had a camera!”

Triumphant, Luffy called out excitedly, “Help me get Torao’s other side, Usopp!”

“Sure!” Usopp was now cackling. Assured in his personal safety while Torao was mostly submerged, Usopp ignored the man’s protests and threats and wadded across, grabbed Torao’s good arm and dapped it across his shoulder. “I won’t let you drown, Torao! You’re our important ally, after all!” 

Zoro vaguely heard Law mumble “I’ll kill you all” before Luffy and Usopp broke out into song with a miserable Torao sandwiched between them. Zoro would have sighed in commiseration, but despite his outward displeasure, Law made no serious attempt to escape, and if anything, seemed to have settled quite readily into the crook of Luffy’s arm.

The bathroom continued to fill up with song and laughter and steam. Outside, someone in Bartolomeo’s crew announced the sighting of an island. Luffy whooped with joy, jostling Torao closer still. Zoro smiled. Trafalgar D. Water Law had no idea what he had gotten himself into.


	2. Law

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luffy is selfish. Zoro tries to help. Law does something dumb but he doesn't know why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since the One Piece world is already filled with many bizarre animals, I'll also be making up animal species for this story. So if you see the name of animals that you don't recognize, don't freak out.
> 
> Also, I apologize for taking so long with this chapter. I'd written most of it from another character's point of view, hated it, and rewrote it in Law's POV. I think for the rest of the story, I'll be sticking mostly with Zoro's and Law's POVs.

Doflamingo had been taken down, Cora-san avenged, Law was going to see his crew again after months of separation, and life was pretty good for once.

His arm was gaining more mobility, too. There was hardly any blood left on the wound. 

Even though Princess Mansherry had been weakened and Leo overworked, their combined efforts on Law’s arm was astonishing. Miraculous—one could say. It left a trained surgeon like Law, who admittedly had his own unfair advantage when it came to medical procedures, envious of the Tontattas.

Law tried not to scrutinize Usopp too closely as the sniper discarded the used but barely stained bandages in the bathroom trash bin and unrolled clean new ones from the medical pack. Luffy and Zoro had fled the second they were done with the bath and left Law’s aftercare entirely to Usopp.

Sitting on the dried edge of the bathtub in nothing but a pair of loose pajama pants, Law was pensive as usual, but it seemed like Usopp still hadn’t fully acclimated to Law’s reticence, and being alone in the same room as Law was making him nervous.

Usopp took a deep breath, visibly tried to shake off the awkwardness and said, “Um, it’s looking good. I mean, I’m no Chopper, but Leo’s stitches are working great. You’re hardly bleeding at all, and no signs of an infection. That’s good news, Torao!”

Nodding, Law slowly flexed the fingers of his previously severed arm. It was healing faster and better than anybody could have hoped. For an endless hour on Dressrosa, Law had really thought his arm was gone forever.

“O…kay, I’ll wrap it up again, and you’ll be good to go! At this rate, the stitches can come out in just another couple of days. But what am I saying, trying to explain something so simple to you? You’re like, an actual surgeon, right? Man, Chopper was going on and on before Dressrosa that he wanted to pick your brain, but then we got split up. Just our luck, hey?”

Law’s first instinct was to tell Usopp to stop talking, because he hated it when people tried to fill awkward silences with meaningless jabber. In his experience, too few members of the Straw Hat crew saw silence as a virtue.

But Law also knew if he so much as scowl at Usopp, he was going to scare the man away, and he had been trying so damn hard to be friendly to Luffy’s crew. Besides, he did truly appreciate Usopp’s help. Even without proper medical training, the sharpshooter had the steady, delicate touch of an artist, and he was obviously well-practiced in bandaging wounded comrades. He had Law wrapped and dressed in minutes.

But he was apparently taking too long according to Luffy’s standards, because the unnaturally energetic captain bounded in just as Law was putting on his night shirt, howling, “New island! There’s a new island! It’s gonna be a good one! Come see, come see!”

Luffy dragged them out on deck and craned back his rubbery neck to seek out the central mast. Before he could launch his Gomu Gomu no Rocket with two unhappy passengers in tow, Law summoned a Room around the ship and transported them softly into the tiny crow’s nest.

Denied of his chance to Rocket hapless innocents, Luffy looked put out. Though Usopp seemed quite impressed with Law’s quick thinking.

“You’re no fun,” Luffy huffed.

“He’s still injured, Luffy!”

Luffy laughed. “He’s fine!” he declared. Ignoring Usopp’s reprimand as well as common sense, he playfully punched Law right above where the his arm had been severed. Law grunted. The punch had stung, but looking weak in front of Luffy wasn’t an option. 

Usopp groaned at his captain’s antics but he was clearly glad Luffy’s target wasn’t him. Usopp was still healing as well. 

It was just the three of them in the crow’s nest. Down below, the deck was mostly empty, remnants of their dinner already been cleared by Bartolomeo’s crew. Zoro was taking an after-dinner, post-bath nap near the helm while Kinemon and Kanjuro chatted with Bartolomeo’s cook, a greasy nine-fingered ex-bandit named Harding (Skill level: a 7 on the 0-to-Sanji scale of cooking).

The sun was struggling to stay on the horizon. Donning his goggles, Usopp looked toward the direction where Luffy was gesturing. 

“Here, Torao, take a look!” Luffy forced a brass telescope into Law’s hand and maneuvered the older man closer to the edge. Law quietly complied with Luffy’s order. The dwindling twilight made it difficult to spot, but it was there—a mountainous island in the distance. But he hardly had ten seconds to study the island at his own pace before Luffy became restless behind him.

Luffy first tried to snatch away Usopp’s goggles, but Usopp was fiercely protective of his eyewear. Luffy wasn’t going to win there, not when Usopp was more than willing to bite a man during a scuffle.

With a set of red teeth marks on his hand, Luffy made a slow and measured grab for the telescope in Law’s possession, not unlike a lion cub clumsily learning to hunt for the first time. 

Law could see Luffy’s hand from the corner of his vision, but he kept one eye firmly closed and the other affixed to his telescope, refusing to show any outward acknowledgment of Luffy’s encroachment. Mugiwara-ya was attempting to be sly for once, but there was no way he was ever going to out-sly Trafalgar Law of all people.

His slow intrusion into Law’s personal bubble was answered by Law’s equally silent side-shuffle away from Luffy’s approaching hand.

The crow’s nest was small, however, and there wasn’t a lot of space for Law to discretely back into. When Luffy had him trapped and was about to pounce for the kill, Law Roomed himself back on deck, taking the telescope with him.

He hoped nobody saw his smirk as Luffy shouted his indignations from above. It wouldn’t do for people to think that he might occasionally be amused by Mugiwara-ya’s antics. 

To dispel any possible accusation that he was _teasing_ Luffy—because he had’t been—Law handed the telescope over without fuss as soon as Luffy Rocketed back on deck, leaving Usopp to make his slow way down like a normal human being.

Law didn’t need the telescope to see that the island looming on their port side was nothing but a dormant volcano sticking out from the sea. 

The volcano itself was of a decent size, its jagged, rocky slopes glowed crimson in twilight, dotted by sparse clusters of shrubbery. From what they could see, there was hardly any flatland at the bottom of the mountain’s foothill, and Law had seen far too many volcanic islands during his travels to put faith in there being anything of worth on the other side either.

And then Luffy shouted, “Hey! Chicken-Head! Are we moving _away_ from that island?! Why aren’t we going closer?!”

Bartolomeo promptly ran out of the cabins like the willing slave he wished he was and apologized,.

“Luffy-Senpai, I told my helmsman to follow the vivre card Trafalgar gave us. We’re heading directly to Zou like you wanted, Oh Great One!”

“But there’s an island in sight, and we didn’t even need a Log Pose to find it. It’s so close, it’s right there! Get me closer and I can get there and back by myself with Gomu Gomu no Rocket!”

Sensing trouble, Robin and Franky joined the group just as Kinemon implored, “Please, Luffy-dono, I need to ascertain the safety of Momonosuke immediately! We cannot afford any delay!”

Kanjuro nodded along. Law couldn’t even see the conversation as one worth having. Abandoned, lifeless island, or reuniting with their crews on Zou? Surely even Monkey D. Luffy’s brain, the one that’s constantly tuned to adventure, could see this was a no-brainer. 

“But we’re pirates! If we find an island, we have to make a landing! Momo and the others will be fine. Sanji’s with them! Right, Franky?”

Put on the spot between reason and loyalty to his captain, Franky impressed Law by not floundering at all. 

“I also trust Sanji won’t let anything happen to Nami, which means he will do his best not to let anything happen to Chopper, Brook, Momo, and even Caesar,” the cyborg said confidently. “But, Luffy, last you heard from Sanji he was being attacked by Big Mom’s ship. Plus, while I have my full faith in Sunny, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to check on Sunny as soon as possible.”

“Ah, no need to frown, Luffy-Senpai! We think it’s a dormant volcano, and it doesn’t look like much life can survive on that island, just some bushes and maybe ash goats. I’m sure there’s no adventure to be found there.”

Bartolomeo was trying to mitigate the situation, but he only managed to get Luffy to stick to his point even further. “If you don’t think there’s anything there, then what’s the harm of letting me check it out for a few hours? It won’t be much of a delay at all. And what if there’s buried treasure on the island? Nami will be pissed if we missed out on treasure!”

“And how are you going to find buried treasure without a treasure map? Damn it, you idiot, you’re too friggin’ loud.” 

Zoro sauntered over from his napping spot, yawning. Once he got close enough, Luffy latched himself to his sword arm and pleaded, “You agree with me, right, Zoro? We have to go… for our honor as pirates!!”

Zoro hit him on the head with a sword hilt. “Don’t pull this again, you selfish captain! We all know even if that island is absolutely deserted, you’ll still somehow land us in a big mess. Think about Kinemon. He had only just reunited with his son before they got split up again. And what about Torao? Who knows how long he’s gone without seeing his crew? How would you like it if some selfish asshole kept you from seeing your crew?” 

It wasn’t exactly surprising to hear Zoro challenge Luffy’s authority so blatantly, because heaven knows Straw Hat was too crazy and uncontrollable when left alone. Nonetheless, it bothered Law to heard Zoro infer that Luffy was an “asshole”. That was crossing the line into insubordination in Law’s opinion. 

Which was why it got really irritating really fast when instead of fighting Zoro’s lecture, Luffy actually looked contrite. Sure, he was still pouting, but he also clearly agreed with Zoro’s assessment. When no rebuttal was made, Zoro seemed to deem the matter resolved; his expression softened while his right hand reached out and petted—yes, _petted_ —Straw Hat on the spot where he’d hit the rubbery young man.

Law looked around incredulously. For some reason, Robin, Usopp and Franky looked relieved— _relieved!_ —that their captain just got yelled at by a subordinate who was now petting said captain as if he was some kind of trained house pet, as if this was a common occurrence. And worst of all, Luffy appeared to be quite mollified by Zoro’s reprimand—and petting!—and no longer seemed so intent on his adventure.

After, if anyone asked Law what prompted him to say the things he ended up saying, he wouldn’t have been able to answer, only that it felt absolutely essential for him to contend that “I don’t think it’s a bad idea to make a short stop. My trust in my crew is absolute, and if you are equally confident in Black Leg-ya’s abilities, I have no doubt that by now they would have met up on Zou and formed an alliance to keep Caesar and the child safe. If the samurai can place their faith in your word that the child will not be harmed by the time father and son are reunited, then I too can give my word that my crew will no doubt assist in whatever way they can.”

Never mind that Law didn’t leave any instruction for his crew to expect the Straw Hats’ arrival on Zou, and never mind that he had no way of knowing whether his crew would willingly seek out and ally with the Straw Hats on their own, he was currently too preoccupied by Luffy’s grateful grin, which was growing bigger and bigger the more Law talked. 

And then Kinemon was silently thoughtful for a moment before exchanging nods with Kanjuro and said something akin to of course they trusted Luffy’s crew, and of course they believed in the strength and honor of Law’s words, so, sure, one more day’s delay couldn’t hurt. 

And then Bartolomeo fell over himself in his hurry to find his helmsman to give the order to change course for the volcanic island with its jagged slopes and pathetic shrubbery.

And then Usopp and Franky shrugged and went on to their own businesses. 

And then Robin chuckled but wouldn’t explained what was so damn funny. 

And then Mugiwara-ya practically skipped over, grabbed Law’s good hand to give it exactly three enthusiastic pumps, mouthed “thank you”, and proceeded to spend the next five minutes flopping around the ship singing an entirely too repetitive “Island, island, going on a new island!” song.

And then Roronoa Zoro stared at Law and furrowed his brows, more confused than upset, and the more Law tried to glare back the more confused Zoro got, until the swordsman retreated back to his napping spot, leaving behind only a low murmur that sounded something like, “Shouldn’t’ve bothered.”

And then Law found himself heading away from the crew he hadn’t seen in months with no clear idea what in hell just happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :-D


	3. Zoro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoro wishes Law understood Luffy better. Zoro makes a big mistake.

They dropped anchor an hour before midnight. It was not exactly the best time to make an impromptu landing, but Zoro had been with Luffy for long enough to know that once the young captain set his eyes on a goal, there was no going back.

But that wasn’t exactly right, was it? Zoro hadn’t been a Straw Hat for very long at all. They hardly shared a year together before Kuma blasted them to opposite ends of the seas. They’d been apart longer than they were ever together.

Zoro gritted his teeth and clutched his swords a little tighter. He didn’t particularly like thinking about those numbers, about those lost years that were so preciously educational and yet maddening. 

As if Luffy could read his mind, his captain’s stretchy head butted him on one shoulder and whined, “Zoro, Zoro, Zoro, wanna come?” 

Luffy was already standing inside the dinghy waiting to be lowered down. He had with him five boxes of rations, his favorite red and white striped sweater (in case it was cold on the island), a mini-den den mushi, and a camera.

Without a word, Zoro went to join Luffy’s side. Nobody, not even the relative strangers of Bartolomeo’s crew, dared bring up Zoro’s vehement protest against Luffy’s little side adventure just two hours ago. 

“I thought you didn’t approve of this detour.”

Nobody dared, except for Trafalgar Law, who had for some reason taken up space on Luffy’s other side without waiting for an invitation.

Law had been acting funny since their bath and Zoro had no idea why. He hoped it wasn’t because Law was uncomfortable about being seen naked, because modesty was one of those pesky things that no pirate could afford. Everyone on the Straw Hat crew had seen each other naked dozens of times. And besides, from what Zoro saw, it wasn’t as if Law had anything to be embarrassed about. 

“What’s the camera for?” he chose to ask Luffy instead.

“For Nami!” Luffy announced quite proudly. “Don’t think we’ll be coming back around this way anytime soon. Her map of the world’s not gonna be complete if she doesn’t include this island. So I’m gonna take pictures of it for her!” 

Law stared at Luffy in surprise. “That is… thoughtful of you, Mugiwara-ya.”

Luffy’s response was a large grin, but Zoro had to admit, for the first time since he met Trafalgar Law, he was disappointed in the man. 

He had thought the Heart captain was quite similar to Luffy. If nothing else, both men were equally ambitious, reckless, and wore hearts of gold on their sleeves, even if one of them was a lot less open about it than the other. 

But he was obviously wrong if Luffy’s completely understandable gesture managed to surprise Law. 

He was disappointed because it meant Law still didn’t understand the man that was Monkey D. Luffy. Admittedly, it was probably too much to ask of someone who wasn’t yet a part of their crew. A mere outsider couldn't possibly see through Luffy’s easy smiles and know he was actually quite anxious and upset about this brief separation from Nami, Chopper, Brook, and yes, even that curly-browed idiot. 

Taking pictures of a dismally unimportant island for Nami was the least Luffy could do for her. Zoro had also seen Luffy ask Bartolomeo’s crew for their grandma’s old wives’ medical cures to bring back to Chopper, useless they may be. And he’d been hounding Harding for awesome recipes for Sanji. 

[Not too long ago, when they had finally been reunited and were able to relax on Fishermen Island, Luffy had similarly brought out packs of photographs for Nami — pictures of the Kuja island coastline and hillsides. They were atrocious shots, of course — at least one rubbery finger was in the frame half the time, and the rest were either blurry or close-up shots of meat. Even so, Nami had accepted the pictures with an exasperated, teary smile. 

Then, one by one, the rest of the crew had handed over pictures of their own island prisons, mostly hand-drawn. Only Usopp’s contribution had any real cartographic value. Nevertheless, Nami broke out sobbing soon after, and then charged all of them a fee for making her cry.]

No, Law didn’t know Luffy as well as he should for the purposes of a successful alliance. That was something they needed to work on. Zoro made a mental note.

On Luffy’s signal, Bartolomeo lowered the dinghy onto the surface of the sea. They had to drop anchor more than a mile away from the shore. The seabed became incrementally more shallow as they approached. If Franky hadn’t been so in tune with the ship, they might have accidentally gone too far and scrapped its hull. Making the rest of the trip to shore in a dinghy was the best option.

“Dim the lights. There’s no point in attracting unnecessary attention. Get some rest. We’ll be back by morning,” Zoro commanded. By the eagerness with which Bartolomeo responded, he didn’t think the green-haired captain minded taking orders from a non-captain. 

“Aye, aye, Zoro-senpai!” Bartolomeo’s cheer was subdued. He was being considerate of his guests and crew, most of whom were already asleep. Franky and Robin in particularly didn’t bother to stay up and see them off. 

Luffy waved back. He looked down at the twin oars, looked at Law, looked at Zoro, and shrugged.

Law sputtered, “I’m not rowing.” He glanced at Zoro pointedly.

The difference between Law and Luffy couldn’t be more clear than at that moment. Perhaps Zoro should have been relieved. Watching Law and Luffy fight in tandem on Dressrosa had made him forget that Law was his own individual, a highly wanted captain in his own right, not another nobody easily subsumed by Luffy’s light.

He bore a long, hard glare into Law, as if to say, “Watch and learn.” Zoro turned to challenge Luffy to a rock-paper-scissor competition.

“Two out of three. Loser has to row; winner gets to do all the work.”

Sure enough, Luffy was all onboard with the idea and couldn’t figure out why no matter what he did, he was stuck doing the labor.

While Luffy got himself acquainted with the oars, Zoro took a seat at the other end of the dinghy. Law promptly plopped down besides him.

“You really treat him like an idiot,” came a mutter in Zoro’s ear.

“Because he _is_ an idiot.”

The scowl widened. 

“A week ago I would have said he deserved it. But you can go too far, Roronoa.”

Zoro was taken aback — Law had dropped the “ya” behind his name! He wasn’t sure what that meant, and he was even more confused about why Law suddenly became a stickler for respect in a chain of command.

It couldn’t have been entirely about the gratitude Law felt toward Luffy for taking down Doflamingo. There was something else there, barely born, and Zoro knew himself too well to know he wasn’t smart enough to figure it out just yet.

He didn’t have too long to contemplate it all. Luffy had effortlessly rowed them to shore in no time. They began circling the island to look for a good spot to dock their dinghy, but Luffy gave up half way and rocketed himself onto land, leaving Zoro and Law with the task.

“Room,” Law said huskily. One second they were still in the water; the next, Zoro, Law, and dinghy all relocated onto dry land thanks to Law’s Devil Fruit power.

It was convenient, if not disconcerting to the unprepared. 

Starlight and a half-full moon lit their way. Zoro and Law had to play catch-up to find Luffy, but once they did, it didn’t take long for them to make a complete circle around the island.

The place was as abandoned and lifeless as they’d all expected. What little flat land that encircled the volcano was rocky and dry. A few palm trees grew crooked and sad as if they’d just lost a fight against a hurricane. The ground began to slope upward not far from the coast, and then all that the three men could see was the volcano itself.

It was possibly one of the most unimpressive volcanoes Zoro had ever laid eyes on. It must have been dormant for centuries. Its sloping, gray surface was jagged at parts, but mostly smoother than a volcano had any right to be. Ancient volcanic rock had long been weathered down, its pores packed by blown sediments. Yellow-green bushes grew in small patches on the volcano, but none bore any fruit. 

Aside from the sound of smashing waves upon the shore, silence reigned. Not even seagulls came near.

“We good, Luffy?” Zoro asked.

His captain sighed dramatically and whined, “Booooooring!” 

“What now?” asked Law impatiently. Zoro rolled his eyes. Nobody had asked Law to tag along, after all.

“Now we sleep. Everyone on the ship must be out cold by now,” Zoro gestured to the Going Luffy-senpai. Only the crow’s nest lantern was still lit. “We’ll get up in the morning and continue on. It’s a little rocky here, but we’ve slept in worse places.”

When his suggestion was met with no resistance, Zoro began looking for a relatively flat spot on the ground. It wasn’t easy. This island seemed determined to make his night uncomfortable. 

Ten minutes later, the three of them settled down underneath a palm tree. Zoro had taken four naps that day already, but he easily surrendered to a big yawn. He lay back with his hands folded beneath his head; the stars glimmered above him. 

“You cold, Luffy?” he murmured as sleep was about to overtake him.

“Nope! I got my sweater!” Luffy answered cheerfully. He didn’t sound sleepy at all. “Are you cold, Zoro?”

Zoro grunted. Law had also been smart enough to bring his thick coat. Only Zoro was in short-sleeves. So he was a bit chilly, but he’s never let that bother him before.

In his peripheral, Zoro could hear tiny rocks being kicked. Next thing he knew, warmth engulfed his right side as a rubbery body draped itself over him.

He grunted sleepily and twitched his itchy nose. Luffy’s soft tresses tickled. 

Half of Luffy’s body was on his. One knee fidgeted between Zoro’s splayed legs. The fingers on Luffy’s right hand danced a strange beat upon Zoro’s left elbow.

Zoro waited for Luffy to stop moving, but he had little patience for it. When Luffy started humming instead of falling sleep, Zoro took action. He locked Luffy’s fidgeting knee between his own and lowered his own arms to encircle Luffy’s waist.

“Go to sleep, idiot.” 

“But Zoroooo…”

Zoro gave Luffy’s waist a squeeze and without looking, cupped the back of his captain’s head and brought it up for a brief kiss. In response, Luffy snuggled closer and finally calmed down.

Zoro’s heart sped up even as he felt Luffy’s slow down to a more restful rhythm. His eyes shot open and sought out Law’s without thinking. Sure enough, the Heart captain was looking right at him, eyes aglow with an accusatory heat.

There was nothing to be done about it now, Zoro figured. Cuddling for warmth was one thing, but he’d completely forgotten Law’s presence when he kissed Luffy. The island was just so damn quiet that he’d forgotten he and Luffy weren’t alone.

It didn’t have to be awkward, Zoro figured. And it wasn’t as if he felt guilty or ashamed. It was just that he and Luffy had never talked about it — the snuggling, the kissing, and the… other stuff — not to each other and definitely not to anyone else. It simply _was_. They had kept things private even from their nakama. And Zoro had never slipped up before. 

It didn’t have to be awkward, Zoro thought again. Law was still staring wordlessly, but Zoro didn’t want to play this game. If Law found them repulsive, he was free to leave the alliance once they reached Zou. 

Zoro broke their eye contact first and closed his eyes. His captain was warm and secure in his arms. Surrounded by the peaceful atmosphere of the tiny island, it was easy to forget Law’s presence once more. Little mattered to Zoro anymore aside from his captain’s happiness. He’d deal with Law in the morning.

But if Law were really a smart man, he’d know better than to ever mention it at all.

Zoro had no trouble falling back asleep, but it seemed as though sleep was not meant to be. Mere moments after, Zoro was woken up by the sound of something falling into the sea not far from them. The splash was followed by frantic gurgling and a young voice crying out for help.

With a heavy sigh, Zoro opened his eyes. It seemed there was adventure to be found on this island after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time on Transit: Law has a silent freak-out. And a boy drops out of the sky.


	4. Law

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Law freaks out in inappropriate places. Law is hearing things.

Luffy was carelessly hurled aside when the splash registered. Roronoa was already up and running when Law finally got his bearings. There wasn’t anything he or Luffy could do, so they sat back and watched as Roronoa dived into the sea to save the hapless, unknown victim.

 

Roronoa wasn’t the best swimmer, but he was effective enough. It took him no time at all to complete the rescue and swim back to shore with a sopping wet young boy secured to his chest. Law found it incomprehensible, then, to feel as though time was hardly moving, and he somehow was at leisure to stare at Luffy, who was in turn staring at Zoronoa in the distance. 

 

Law thought he could see every line of curiosity on Luffy’s face, the confused furrow between his brows, and the scar under his left eye glowing faintly under the starlight. Luffy was sitting on the ground, cross-legged, and he shivered as a breeze blew over them, as though he was chilled by Roronoa’s absence, despite the warm sweater he was wearing. 

 

Law thought he could see every strand of Luffy’s sable hair, stark against the yellow straw hat hanging down his back. He saw again, in his mind’s eye, Roronoa’s broad palm and calloused fingers diving into that tangled mess, cupping the captain’s head in the most naturally intimate gesture Law had ever seen performed by the laconic swordsman. 

 

Law’s hand upon his sword clenched. His mind whirled in impossible circles every which way; incomplete thoughts jumbled and tumbled against one another. The sound of waves crashing upon the shore echoed without end.

 

Law was no stranger to the loosely defined companionships common on pirate ships. He’d seen it happen within Doflamingo’s crew and even within his own. Men and women who lived each day without knowing whether the next would ever come tended to seek comfort wherever they may find it. Gender and sexuality became a blurred construct onboard a pirate ship.

 

He knew all about that, didn’t he?

 

And he’d known all about the uncommonly fervent bond between the Straw Hat crew members. He’d seen first-hand how it had eaten away at Luffy to be torn apart from his companions. He’d read their history and followed their exploits. He’d heard Roronoa’s moniker as Luffy’s right-hand man. He knew. He _knew_ Roronoa was the first. 

 

He knew Roronoa had gotten there first.

 

It made no sense that he would be so surprised at seeing Roronoa’s arm around Luffy’s waist as if it would belong there until the end of the world came crashing down upon them.

 

Roronoa was back now, clutching a sputtering boy with fire-red hair under one armpit. He dropped the boy unceremonious in front of Luffy. He then shook the water out of his hair, looking not unlike a dog bringing a gift to his master.

 

Law swallowed hard. He made himself look at the boy instead — a safe distraction. 

 

“Who the heck are you?” Luffy asked. Off to the side, Roronoa had taken off his shirt and was wringing it free of water.

 

The red-haired boy was still coughing up seawater. He looked exhausted. When he finally stopped sputtering, he looked up at Luffy from behind his bangs and openly gaped.

 

“Can’t talk, kid?” Roronoa asked.

 

The child’s head jerked around. He stared at Roronoa as if seeing him for the first time. Then his eyes swept over to Law and scanned Law from head to toe in a manner so penetrating that Law shivered.

 

A particularly large wave crashed onto shore. The noise was deafening. The boy glanced at the volcano looming beside them all and suddenly blurted out, “My name is Jin. Please take me with you. Let’s leave now!”

 

Luffy cocked his head and laughed. “Jin, eh? Why should I take you? I don’t know where you came from. How did you fall into the sea when there are no other ships around? Whoa, wait! Did you fall from the sky? Are you from Skypeia?”

 

The clear confusion on the boy’s face was all the answer they needed on that front. “No! We … we need to go now! That’s your pirate ship, isn’t it?” Jin pointed at the anchored Going-Luffy Senpai. He continued to plead frantically, “I can be your cabin boy. I can be useful! Please! Let us leave this place!”

 

“But I don’t need a cabin boy. Torao, do you need a cabin boy? Or maybe Chicken-Head needs a cabin boy?” 

 

“Look, kid,” Roronoa growled, displeased to have his nap so rudely interrupted, “we’re not taking you anywhere. You can’t just freaking fall out of the sky with no explanation and expect us to do what you want. Either you give us some answers, or we can leave you here on this deserted island to rot.”

 

Standing right over the crouched Jin, with his wet chest still bare and one good eye glaring, Roronoa looked like an avenging water demon. Jin recoiled, looked desperately around him for safe haven, and — perhaps because Law was the only person yet to speak — dove straight for the shelter of Law’s arms.

 

The boy was damp and skinny; his bony fingers dug into Law’s back painfully. For a moment so brief that Law didn’t even register the thought, he recalled that Luffy had seemed much more pleasant to hold.

 

But that thought was fleeting, and Law was preoccupied by the shivering child who clung to him like a barnacle. “I’m not taking you either. I don’t take in strays with questionable origins. Don’t you have a family looking for you?”

 

The boy who called himself Jin was now crying outright. His frantic rambling died down to mere whimpers. Law thought he could hear Jin whisper, “It’s too late.”

 

And then Law felt a cold touch — like a caress — at the base of his skull, and he knew no more.

 

*** 

 

Law woke up to darkness and a familiar lethargy.

 

He was mostly submerged, and he could feel hardly anything at all. It was like the deepest embrace the world had to offer, and it was a feeling that none but fruit users could understand. Unlike freshwater baths, the sea didn’t merely render fruit users listless; it dulled their minds, too. Its powers make fruit users _unwilling_ to struggle. If Law was a weaker man, he would have gladly closed his eyes and let the power of the sea pull him under. 

 

He was in seawater — his mind finally caught up to what his body knew the instant he woke up. He had been on a beach with Luffy, Roronoa, and a strange boy when he’d lost consciousness. And now he was in seawater.

 

But he wasn’t sinking. He was sitting on a flat surface and his neck and head were safely out of the water, and he could stay like that as long as he stayed awake, powerless but not in any danger.

 

The darkness faded a bit as his eyes adjusted to the low light. Law slowly rotated his head to look about him. He was in a cavern, submerged in a deep tub of some sort. The stone walls of the cavern looked well worn and wet from condensation. A small tunnel was the only way in or out, and from that opening came the only source of light Law could pinpoint. The air tasted stale and thin, making Law feel even less inclined to move.

 

His eyes adjusted some more, and he finally realized that he wasn’t alone. On the other side of the tub was Luffy, who was still unconscious and quickly sinking.

 

“Mugiwara-ya!” Law gasped.

 

Luffy didn’t even stir. With gritted teeth, Law forced his left hand to lift up high enough to grip the side of the tub. By the time he’d accomplished that much, he had no more energy to will his right hand to life. Luffy was still sinking; his chin had dipped into the water and his mouth was next. Leveraging his hand on the tub, Law pulled himself toward Luffy, growling and panting from the exertion. 

 

Luffy’s nose sank beneath the surface. Three seconds later, he woke up with a loud, coughing sputter. “What the…” Instead of settling down, however, Luffy continued to struggle. “Where am I? I can’t… somebody help!”

 

“Mugiwara-ya, stop struggling! Just sit up and you’ll be fine.”

 

But Luffy didn’t seem to have heard him. He kept struggling ineffectively against the pull of the water. His head bobbed up and down, causing him to swallow seawater and choke.

 

“Damn it,” Law muttered. He closed the distance between them at a painfully slow pace and was finally able to lift one barely-responsive hand to cup the back of Luffy’s head.

 

Luffy immediately went lax in Law’s arms, trusting the touch of Law’s hand to keep his nose and mouth above water.

 

“Breathe, Mugiawara-ya. I’m here.”

 

Luffy gulped. His head was still tilted back, as if he didn’t have enough strength to straighten his neck. “I can’t see.”

 

“Just give it a minute. It’s dim in here, but there is light.”

 

Luffy gulp was loud in the otherwise unoccupied cavern. “I don’t like this. It’s so much worse than a bath.”

 

“Yeah,” Law sighed. “Whoever did this knew what they were doing. They knew we’re fruit users and knew exactly how to incapacitate us. They must have been watching us on the beach. Get your bearings back, and then try to lift your head. Our saving grace is that the water’s shallow. Whoever knocked us out must want us alive.”

 

A small whine momentarily escaped Luffy’s vocal chords. “I don’t like this, Torao. It makes me feel sleepy, like I should stop fighting it.”

 

Law sighed again. Luffy sounded unbearably young and vulnerable, as though his usual bravado and happy-go-lucky attitude had never existed. And there wasn’t much Law could do to help, so he used the last bit of his strength to tug Luffy toward him so that Luffy was sitting on his lap in the water with Law’s left arm wound around his waist. Luffy’s left shoulder was now tucked securely against Law’s chest, his head resting against the tub.

 

Luffy didn’t even bother to say thank you. His next words were “Hey! Where’s my hat?”

 

“How should I know?” Law scowled. He felt ridiculous holding the Straw Hat captain on his lap as if he were carrying a child. Law didn’t like feeling ridiculous.

 

Luffy must have finally adjusted to the cavern’s darkness. His big black eyes were frantically scanning the walls for clues of his hat. 

 

“There aren’t any bars,” Luffy remarked. “This sucks! The bad guys didn’t think we’re dangerous enough to put us in a cell. They’re totally underestimating me!”

 

“They’re not wrong, are they? We can hardly move. They obviously don’t need to bother with a typical prison cell when they have this tub handy.”

 

Luffy was visibly pouting now. Law figured it was safer to stay quiet and not throw any more fuel on Luffy’s anger by pointing out that whoever put them there hadn’t bothered with guards either. 

 

The water rippled. Luffy was shivering. Whoever took them had stripped Luffy of his sweater, and the water they were sitting in wasn’t exactly heated for comfort. 

 

Law was debating whether he dared to push the boundaries of propriety even further by holding Luffy a little tighter against him when Luffy mumbled, “Everything’s OK. Zoro’ll find us.”

 

And just like that, Law was struck dumb. He didn’t need to figure out the propriety question either, because Luffy was shamelessly cuddling up to him all the same. The Straw Hat captain had slumped over so that his head was resting against Law’s shoulder instead of the tub, and he had turned his torso so that his chest was now almost entirely pasted to Law’s chest. 

 

Law could feel Luffy’s heart beating against his own. He was frightfully aware of that fact that if he wanted to, even in this weakened state, it would be so easy to palm the back of Luffy’s head, just like Roronoa had done, and lean down, just like Roronoa had done, and claim Straw Hat’s lips.

 

To use a phrase that Penguin was so fond of — ain’t that thought a kick in the head.

 

He was fucked, Law realized. He was absolutely, spectacularly, out-of-his-mind fucked. Fucked in a multitude of colorful ways.

 

How could he? Law inwardly shouted at himself. How could he be so stupid! Out of all the people in the world, how could he even contemplate the idea of becoming infatuate with this idiotic, impulsive, tactless, insane man-child! 

 

And a man? Where did that come from? Law had only ever slept with women. Not many, but still, every one of them had been ladies particularly gifted in the chest region, and Law could feel exactly how much Luffy was lacking in that area. 

 

Law felt a cold breeze on his bare neck. Luffy was breathing on him. The damned Straw Hat couldn’t even let Law have his inner crisis in peace. 

 

Steeling his courage, Law looked down. Luffy was taking a nap of all things! His face was still wet from his earlier struggle, and tiny droplets of water clung to his eyelashes — eyelashes that were ridiculously long for a man, by the way. His lips were slightly parted, quivering with every breath he took. Above those lips, an adorable little nose —

 

No. No! Law looked away. He was not about to start fawning over Luffy’s nose. It was not only unbecoming but utterly ridiculous. There was nothing cute about the Straw Hat. He’d seen this man’s snot whenever he cried. He’d seen him sprawled out like a graceless octopus on Sunny’s deck. For heaven’s sake, Law had seen this man _eat_ , and it was a disgusting scene every time.

 

Law chanced another peek at Luffy’s lips. To his horror, the urge to kiss them was not going away. He tried reminding himself that they were technically being held prisoners by unknown entities with enough power to knock them out. He had no idea what was going on or whether there was even anyone left alive to rescue them. This could be their last night alive. He clearly had more things to be concerned about than the softness of Luffy’s skin beneath his fingers.

 

Besides, Straw Hat was already involved with his swordsman, as Law himself witnessed. And everybody knew the bond between Luffy and Zoro was unbreakable.

 

And YET! It had to mean something, didn’t it, that Luffy had felt secure and safe enough in Law’s arms that he’d just fall asleep like that while sitting in seawater?

 

Blame it on the boredom or blame it on insanity — Law started to plan. That was what Law did best, wasn’t it? Planning ahead? He’d planned a 10-year-old revenge against Doflamingo, and now that was over and done, it only made sense for him to move on to something else.

 

So as Law sat in the tub, awake in the dark, a precious weight napping on his lap, he planned. He plotted the first plays, and he planned for all subsequent eventualities. He planned because to get what he wanted, it wasn’t going to be simple or easy. He knew himself too well. He wasn’t going to be satisfied with stealing a kiss, and he wasn’t going to be able to talk himself out of this infatuation. The only thing to do, then, was to take Luffy away from Roronoa Zoro.

 

In his head, Law could clearly hear Penguin scoff and say, “Well, _good_ _luck_ with that, Captain.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will make grammatical edits later. Just wanted to get this out because it's been FOR-E-VER.


End file.
